ALLEN PARK — The Detroit Lions got a bit of good news with the return of cornerback Chris Houston and running backs Kevin Smith and Maurice Morris to practice Wednesday.

Houston and Morris warmed up, then participated in individual drills with their teammates; Smith went off to work out with a trainer by himself after warmups, at least during the portion of practice open to media.

Houston injured his knee on Thanksgiving against Green Bay, and Smith suffered a high ankle sprain during the Packers game. Morris left last Sunday's Minnesota game with a chest injury.

Rookie defensive tackle who – against the Vikings – tweaked the same foot he broke in training camp, was back at practice, as well.

The secondary is still depleted with safety Louis Delmas, and cornerbacks Eric Wright and Aaron Berry sidelined Wednesday. Delmas also suffered a knee injury against Green Bay. Wright (hamstring) and Berry (shoulder) were injured against the Vikings.

Justin Durant didn't warm up with his teammates, but was watching his fellow linebackers go through drills as the Lions were closing practice to the media. Defensive end Lawrence Jackson is still out with an injured thigh; he hasn't practiced nor played in games since November 13 against Chicago.

Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was back at practice after serving a two-game suspension. Kyle Vanden Bosch was not practicing; the veteran defensive end had his left leg wrapped, but was likely taking his scheduled day off.

Will the Lions even have enough players to field a defense on Sunday? The past few weeks have been devastating to them on the injury front.

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December 14th, 2011, 1:45 pm

sweetd20

Pro Bowl Player

Joined: October 13th, 2005, 9:03 amPosts: 2489

Re: 2011 Injury Thread

Supposedly they brought Alex Brown and Vernon Gholston in for a look at DE.

December 14th, 2011, 4:34 pm

kdsberman

League MVP

Joined: February 20th, 2007, 10:51 pmPosts: 3485Location: Saginaw, MI

Re: 2011 Injury Thread

Looks like you are correct, SweetD.

Quote:

The Detroit Lions are making an emergency list, they’re checking it twice.

The Lions did their due diligence on Tuesday when they brought in a pair of defensive ends for a workout, one more experienced than the other. Detroit took a look at Alex Brown and Vernon Gholston, according to an NFL source.

Brown has been on the street since he was let go by the New Orleans Saints in late August. The Lions know him well from his days with the Chicago Bears. Brown suggested via his Twitter account that his workout went well. Gholston was with the Bears in training camp but the former New York Jets bust was cut.

The Lions don’t look to have a pressing need right now at end, but probably wanted to freshen up their emergency list in the event something happens in the final three weeks with the team pushing for a wild-card playoff berth in the NFC.

ALLEN PARK -- The Detroit Lions received an early holiday gift when defensive end Lawrence Jackson returned to practice on Friday.

Lawrence injured his thigh against Chicago on November 13 has missed Detroit's past four games. Friday marked the first time Lawrence practiced since sustaining his injury.

Jackson went through individual and team drills without any hesitation.

Detroit will release Jackson's official game status later this afternoon.

In addition, linebacker Justin Durant (hamstring), running back Kevin Smith (ankle) and cornerback Eric Wright (hamstring) were participating in the portion of practice media members were allowed to watch. All went through team and individual drills.

Lions defensive tackle Nick Fairley (ankle) and safety Louis Delmas (knee) stretched with the team, but did not participate in the first 30 minutes of practice. Fairley was on the sidelines working with a trainer with defensive end Willie Young (ankle), who was not participating in any drills.

Meanwhile, cornerback Aaron Berry was on the sidelines and not participating in practice.

ALLEN PARK -- The Detroit Lions may not have any news to report on Thursday.

That is actually a good thing.

Every member of the Lions was participating in practice on Thursday as they prepare to face the New Orleans Saints this weekend. It is one of the rare times this season Detroit had every player participating in practice.

Lions receiver Calvin Johnson stretched and participated in the first 30 minutes of practice media members were allowed to watch.

Johnson is nursing an Achilles injury, but previously said he expects to play on Saturday.

Meanwhile, running back Kevin Smith and tight end Tony Scheffler have seemingly recovered from their collision during Wednesday's practice. Both players were participating in drills Thursday.

The Lions will release their official practice report later this afternoon, but this might be the rare occasion when there is no bad injury news to report.